I looked at Q7s and Q5s having owned and loved several Audi sedans. The Q5 initially looked good to me, but that faded quickly when my wife said it had a "droopy pull-up-your-pants looking rear end". The Q7 looked and road nice, but just doesn't give me $30,000 "more" of what I wanted and the Jeep to me just looked better...that is a personal thing though. The Jeep WK2 surprised me with equivalent quality, excellent looks and an awesome ride regardless of price. I think the WK2 looks a lot hotter than the Audis and it definitely has a more robust chassis than the Audis.

Also, while the Q5 and Q7 are both good cars, the dealers are not necessarily better just because of that high-end image they think they project and what you spend there. It takes more than image and money to have class and quality service, and the Audi/Mercedes dealers in my area lack both, sadly. The Jeep dealer I bought from has a sales and service staff that could be mistaken for what people expect at a Mercedes dealer.

After almost a year I would still pick the WK2 (Hemi) over a Q7 and I get to compare the two frequently as my friend/neighbor and I are in each others vehicles regularly. He won't admit it, but he likes the Grand Cherokee more than his Q7 andevery time we're in mine, he wants to drive it.

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2013 GC Ltd Hemi (2nd Jeep)

I looked at Q7s and Q5s having owned and loved several Audi sedans. The Q5 initially looked good to me, but that faded quickly when my wife said it had a "droopy pull-up-your-pants looking rear end". The Q7 looked and road nice, but just doesn't give me $30,000 "more" of what I wanted and the Jeep to me just looked better...that is a personal thing though. The Jeep WK2 surprised me with equivalent quality, excellent looks and an awesome ride regardless of price. I think the WK2 looks a lot hotter than the Audis and it definitely has a more robust chassis than the Audis.

Also, while the Q5 and Q7 are both good cars, the dealers are not necessarily better just because of that high-end image they think they project and what you spend there. It takes more than image and money to have class and quality service, and the Audi/Mercedes dealers in my area lack both, sadly. The Jeep dealer I bought from has a sales and service staff that could be mistaken for what people expect at a Mercedes dealer.

After almost a year I would still pick the WK2 (Hemi) over a Q7 and I get to compare the two frequently as my friend/neighbor and I are in each others vehicles regularly. He won't admit it, but he likes the Grand Cherokee more than his Q7 andevery time we're in mine, he wants to drive it.

My wife has a Q7 and we love it. Not all Audi dealers are the same. We bought a CPO 07 Q7. The dealer comes and get's it for any service it needs. They bring us an A6 usually. They have taken incredible care of us.

As for the Q5..... a friend of mine was looking for a new car for his wife. They looked at pretty much every small SUV. Lexus, Bimmer, MB, Jeep, GM's, Hyundai even..... I mentioned the Q's to them. She drove it and fell in love with it. She's had it for about 8 months now maybe. I can say that I believe the Audi's are some of the best built cars on the road. I've said it before and I'll say it again.... German cars are built to run the Autobahn. They are used to driving at much higher speeds over there. My wife's Audi running 90mph is remarkably quiet. Of course.... not everyone does that.

Either way, you can't go wrong with the Jeep or the Audi. Being a father of 3 boys though, I think the Jeep would be a little more friendly with the little one. The room in the back of the Jeep I would imagine is larger. We had two kids within 13 months. I bought my wife an Expedition. With the 3rd row being used with her sister, there wasn't enough room to put the double stroller back there. Just some things for you to think about.

One thing that really surprised me about the Q5 is that if you compare the V6 model to the v6 GC on www.fueleconomy.gov, they both get almost the exact same mileage, and the Jeep does this without premium fuel or direct injection! Due to the premium fuel requirement, the site estimates a V6 Q5 will actually cost more to fuel a year than a V6 GC despite it's lighter weight and vastly diminished utility.

My wife has a Q7 and we love it. Not all Audi dealers are the same. We bought a CPO 07 Q7. The dealer comes and get's it for any service it needs. They bring us an A6 usually. They have taken incredible care of us.

As for the Q5..... a friend of mine was looking for a new car for his wife. They looked at pretty much every small SUV. Lexus, Bimmer, MB, Jeep, GM's, Hyundai even..... I mentioned the Q's to them. She drove it and fell in love with it. She's had it for about 8 months now maybe. I can say that I believe the Audi's are some of the best built cars on the road. I've said it before and I'll say it again.... German cars are built to run the Autobahn. They are used to driving at much higher speeds over there. My wife's Audi running 90mph is remarkably quiet. Of course.... not everyone does that.
Ei

I agree with all of your points.

With the Q7, a little known fact is that the braking system on all models is a Brembo 6-piston setup for the front and 4-piston for rears. Great performance for a stock/family hauler SUV.

My wife needed service on her A4. The dealer pick-up the car at her work and provided a A6. The A4 was returned with a full tank of gas, washed and vacuumed. For the loaner A6, they said just drive it and don't replace the gas. Great service and one less item for me (as I handle all of the vehicle stuff).

We took a quick peek at the Q5, and discovered that while the price difference between a reasonably well equipped Q5 and the WK2 Overland was not all that much, the Grand Cherokee was just more comfortable. The Audi, by comparison, is quite a bit smaller (closer to the Patriot and Liberty in size), and just doesn't have anywhere near the same cargo capability or interior room. We didn't drive one, I expect the Q5 would be spectacular on the road, but as mentioned, it would get out of its element pretty quickly once the pavement ended... anything more than a gravel road is going to beat the tar out of the thing.

I would also expect the Audi dealer to be far better. My CJD dealer is pretty good, but they're no luxury brand. But then, oil changes at the CJD dealer aren't anywhere near $40, either. You pay for that level of service, and you pay every time it comes in for that service. So long as you understand that such service isn't free (some people don't... they expect luxury service at cheap prices... ain't gonna happen), you will be ok.

I really like Audi. I think they make a great product. The A4 and A8 are amazing cars. The only issue I have with them right now is that they come off a bit pretentious and " Mom and Dads Friday night out to Dinner valet mobile" and not enouph "rest of my life " accomidations. The marketing campaign they had over Christmas with the neigbors rolling out thier Audis on the driveway and using the parking LED light display to be thier Christmas lights was just so declasse..... That's just my perception though.

I say if you have the cash and like the Audi, get it. There's alot of good reasons to get one, just like there are different good reasons to get the WK2. I do think however the WK2 is the best value and offers the most options for the price around right now. I jump right out of my Overland and into Mercedes, Audi's and BMW SUV's all the time. My brother has a Land Rover HSE, My mom has a Mercedes Benz ML 350 they just bought, I traded my ML 350 in on the WK2, my best friends wife has the Audi Q7 and I drive them all. And I don't feel like I drop in class or quality getting into the Jeep. In fact, I like it better than the BMW for sure, it rides better than the Land Rover, it's just as quiet as the Audi and the interior quality and options the Jeep has more than justifies the parking space right next to all of those in my opinion.

Thought I would weigh in on the Q5. I am now currently driving a Q5 for the past 2.5 years and have about 50K miles on it. Suffice to say, I am aware of all things Q5. So let me assist you in your decision. First, some background. I live in South Florida, and use the car for work all day. I do tow and use it to pull one or two Harleys to the mountains several times a year. It does have the factory tow bar and connections and is programmed. The roads around here, while better then up north, are not that good. I am male / 46 y/o and am anything from passive to aggressive when I drive.

1. Gas mileage with mostly city driving is about 17 MPG. Car computer is a bit optimistic. I do use premium but they lace it with alcohol. I did manage to find a place in Tennessee one time that sold straight gas and the mileage numbers shot way up for that fill up.
2. The car is not that quiet. Yes, better then most but the GC is quieter. I have driven three GC's already. You will also notice that the structure on the car will flex more as time goes on. It develops rattles. Not too bad but for a car guy, I notice.
3. The leather and interior holds up very well. Those wear marks you see in most seats after a year of sliding in and out are simply not there. My seats are that cream color too! All of the other surfaces look new! This was a nice surprise to me.
4. The car can tow! As mentioned, I tow two Harleys behind and it does not bat an eye! I mentioned the programming. You need the factory hitch and program. It transforms the electronics in the car when you connect the tow wiring. Even in the mountains with a trailer. It handles very well and stops well. I am impressed given the short wheelbase.
5. The engine is very smooth and in sport mode will get very punchy. I mainly leave it in the normal drive mode for everyday. You will not use the sport mode for the most part.
6. People are talking about the cost of upkeep. This is very true. The car will burn off the first set of tires within 20K miles. That will average about $1,200.00 It will chew through brakes at 25K miles. First time is front pads and turning at $400.00 Second will be front pads and new rotors at $600.00 (49K) and after will be all four corners. I suspect $1,400.00+/- (prices are rough) I can't comment on routine service. I paid $700 up front for all services to 50K and have not paid out of pocket since, except for tires and brakes.
7. Does not seem you can get an extended Audi warrantee. I looked into it. This is an issue and one of the main reasons I am looking to get out of the car at this time. I hear one should not be in an Audi after the warrantee is up.
8. I mentioned my roads here. Well, it seems the cities around here have no money to make repairs so the roads are worse and worse. While the car rides well enough it will make you acutely aware of road imperfections. The Jeep seems to be really good at insulating you. This is a huge draw for me personally. I drive alot.

I really do like the Audi Q5 3.2. I highly recommend it. It will jump curbs and go down dirt or mud paths well enough. In fact, I would be willing to bet it could do most of what an average GC driver is going to do with his or her car. I would not let casual off road detours be a deciding factor. I will caution you to stay away from that dreaded 2.0 turbo motor. That just cheapens the entire thing in my opinion.

Hope this helps.

Quote:

Originally Posted by flashy09

I know it's smaller and not off road, but it's my other consideration and I don't need a Jeep, just like the looks and luxury! Did anyone also try the Q5? Why did you go with the Jeep (non off road reasons). Thank you!